Giselle is a proud mother of an adult on the Autism Spectrum. Her parenting journey began as a lone parent navigating the Ontario healthcare and education systems. Her persistence and dedication inspired her to obtain her son’s diagnosis in time for early intervention and treatment. Giselle also worked tirelessly with schools to secure the best placements and educational outcomes for her child at the elementary and high school levels. She is a strong community advocate for greater access to services for families and individuals with disabilities. In the midst of her parenting journey, Giselle suffered a life-threatening health crisis resulting from Graves Disease and Myasthenia Gravis that was triggered by years of gender and race-based micro-aggression in the workplace alongside the socio-economic pressures living in a low income neighborhood. Giselle was able to recover and rise above her circumstances to conceive a powerful movement in the form of The Empress Walk. She led female support groups, awareness walks, fashion shows and conferences about the disproportionate effects of poor mental and physical health among ACB (African, Caribbean and Black) women in Canada. As the lead collaborator for The Empress Walk Initiative, Giselle hopes to positively impact the lives of families, communities and the wider society by creating more inclusion for Black families and neuro-diverse individuals with Autism.